Setting the foundations for a career in Financial Technology

Catarina Carrusca
MSc Financial Technology

I am an international student from Portugal and I initially came over to study at Essex during the COVID 19 pandemic. After initially completing my BSc Economics at Essex, I was recruited to work full-time as a Student Recruitment and Marketing Assistant at the University of Essex. In this role I was fortunate to travel around the country attending higher education fairs whilst optimising the Essex higher education offering. I have also organised and delivered several campus visits as well as help organise and deliver Open Days.

I still had a hankering to learn more about the Financial world though, I found myself increasingly interested in how banks and the financial markets work which is what prompted me to pursue a Masters degree in Financial Technology. I specifically explored the UK for pursuing my studies as it is one of the leading financial capitals in the world. The fintech arena has gained a growing popularity over recent years and many financial institutions have grown enormously with the help of investors.

My favourite module was the Fintech module as it goes in depth on why these institutions appear in the market and how they work. I also enjoyed my Python class as it gave me great insight on the topic. I have enjoyed learning to code as part of my degree, being able to code is a great skill, in fact it’s becoming more and more of a necessity in the FinTech world.

Essex is an extremely international university, as an international student myself it was important to me that I went to an internationally diverse university. Additionally, I was drawn by the extensive Finance resources Essex Business School has to offer, specifically Bloomberg, the Trading Floor and Refinitiv.

Essex is a great university. There is a bustling student life as the student union always has events going on from ‘SU Makes’ to international celebrations. The campus has extensive green space and also has a nightclub and a bar so students don’t need to go to town to unwind and, in a way it feels more safe as you are among other university students with security 24/7 on campus. I also joined two societies which has been a great way to meet more people with the same interests as myself.